California: Help Stop San Diego from Imposing Illegal and Unjust Fees on Licensed Firearm Dealers

Friday, May 1, 2015

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Proposal to be heard Monday, May 4!

The San Diego Budget Review Committee is set to consider again increasing the City’s fees for Firearm Dealer licenses and Firearm Dealer Employee licenses. The proposal would increase the annual cost for a firearm retailer to obtain a license from the already outrageous fee of $1,755 per license to $1,857—four times the amount most other California cities charge. And even though California law prohibits cities from imposing fees for additional firearm employee background checks, San Diego is also considering quadrupling the city’s annual Firearms Dealer Employee License fee from $45 to a whopping $254 per employee license! Beyond further burdening an already heavily regulated and fee-riddled industry, these extreme fee increases will be passed on to the consumer at best and force firearm businesses to stagnate, downsize, or move out of San Diego at worst.

If you live in the City of San Diego or know anyone who lives in San Diego, we urge you to voice your concerns and opposition to the City Council/Budget Review Committee members before the proposal is set to be heard on May 4. Remember, this isn’t the first time the city has tried to raise these fees. Just three years ago San Diego nearly tripled its fee for firearm retailers from $660 to its current amount of $1,755. It will not likely stop there unless pressured. Committee contact information can be found below.

When this proposal was first made to the Budget and Government Efficiency Committee weeks ago, attorneys for the NRA and the California Rifle and Pistol Association (“CRPA”) submitted an opposition letter urging the members to recommend that the San Diego City Council reject the proposed raising of the dealer license fee and repeal entirely the illegal employee fee. While the Committee did not go that far, it did recommend referring the matter to this other committee to further consider the proposal before acting.

It also prompted the San Diego Police Department to host a recent forum to discuss the proposed fee increases. An attorney representing NRA and CRPA attended the event. Despite that attorney’s requests for more information justifying the proposed increases, the Department was unable to provide any evidence substantiating either one, simply saying that they believe the amounts are “reasonable.” The problem for the Department is that the law requires that the amount of fees be tied to specific costs incurred. The Department’s only helpful advice, ironically, was that if the public wants “transparency” regarding these fee amounts, it must demand it from the City Council. So now is the time to let them hear your voice!

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Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.